If he were alive, there is “absolutely no doubt” that Chicano bluesman Randy Garibay would still be playing at the annual Valentine's dance (now in its 27th year) at the Guadalupe Theater.

It's a spiritual connection that runs through old-school musicians involved in the event.

So says his brother, soul singer and bassist Ernie Garibay, who headlines the oldies dance this weekend with fellow West Side legend Arturo “Sauce” Gonzalez.

Garibay & Cats Don't Sleep and Gonzalez & the West Side Horns share the stage at the Pre-Valentine's Dance at Guadalupe Theater on Sunday from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Tickets, cash only, cost $15 or $25 per couple.

Special guests include Rudy “Tee” Gonzales of the Reno Bops. This year's honorees are longtime supporters and volunteers Margie Yanez and Virginia Schramm. A twist contest is part of the fun, too.

There are those who would tinker with the formula to try and appeal to a hip demographic and incorporate different genres.

Garibay isn't totally against that, but that would be a different show, “a different vibe.”

“They haven't been there for the long haul, and so they don't really understand the history behind this event,” said Garibay. “People expect the oldies.”

For him, the spirit of “all the musicians on the (West Side murals) walls that have played this event” is intertwined in the Valentine's dance.

“It has a history from the corazon,” he said.

“Randy's spirit is always present when we do this. Of course, I invoke his name and his music. No doubt, he'd still be up there. It'd be Sauce and Randy doing it instead of Sauce and Ernie.”